News Archive 1999: Back to the Ghetto in Rehovot

...Since its founding by religious settlers a century ago, Rehovot has been characterized by peaceful relations between religious and non-observant residents. Rabbi Simha Kook, chief rabbi of the city for 27 years, is one of the best-known figures in the city, and is invariably invited to give a dvar Torah at any major event in the city.

Religious and non-religious Jews have always lived in close proximity to one another. There are no completely religious or completely secular neighborhoods in the city. Traffic flows freely on Shabbat...

Source: Jonathan Rosenblum. Back to the ghetto in Rehovot. Jerusalem Post (2 July 1999) [FullText]